“You’re the only girl for me.” He placed small kisses across her cheek, and she sighed.
“Apparently.” She murmured, and he stopped moving to look at her sternly.
“No, that's the truth, Belle.” He insisted with a frown.
“Okay, back to kissing me.” She grabbed his shirt, and tugged him closer to her.
“I love you so damn much.”
“Hmmm, ditto.”
Just as she pulled him in for a kiss, the movie started with a loud crash, startling them. Lucy let out a shaky laugh, as Ash lowered the volume. She snuggled back into his embrace, as he handed her the soufflé. She stared at the little ramekin with what looked like enough chocolate to satisfy her never-ending cravings.
She surprised herself, as she dug the spoon in, and moved over to offer Ash the first bite. His eyes went wide with shock, and a hit of desire that only fuelled her onward. He obediently opened his mouth, and she slid the spoon inside.
Just as the chocolate hit his tongue, she kissed him, and they both let out a sigh at the delight they felt. They proceeded to feed their soufflés to each other in between nibbling kisses and delighted laughter.
“That was delicious,” Lucy murmured, as she leaned back against his solid chest.
“Yes,” his eyes brightened, before he kissed her again.
His hands roamed over her body, as he kissed her passionately. His fingers then drifted to the strap on the shoulder of her dress. He toyed with it for a moment, while his kiss intensified, his body responding to her with a fierceness that he could barely control.
His finger ran under the strap, and then pushed it off her shoulder. She let out a moan, as his fingers skimmed over the bruise that he had made. He urged her back, until she was laying full length on the couch next to him. His hands found the back zipper of her dress, and pulled the tab down.
Her skin was soft, enticing and the ultimate temptation, as he ran a finger along her spine. He had an almost overwhelming need to strip this dress off her, and see her lying naked in front of him. It was when her hands caressed against his chest that he knew he had to stop. When she began pulling his shirt up, Ash knew that he was about to totally lose control.
“I’ve gotta stop, Belle,” his words came out as a grunt against her collarbone.
“No, don’t, I want… I need you to touch me,” she pleaded with him, and her desire flooded eyes almost did him in.
“No, it needs to be special, not like this…” He trailed off, while thinking of the secrets he kept hidden from her. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and re-zipped her dress.
“Not like what, Ash? What in the world are you doing?” Lucy huffed at him, as he sat her up, and set her away from him. “What did I do wrong?” She finished sadly.
“Hell! You didn’t do anything wrong, Belle. The fact is you were doing everything way too right.” He finished lamely.
“Oh, of course, I was. That would be why you stopped.” Lucy remarked sarcastically, as she moved to the other side of the couch away from him. All those melting good feelings flooded from her. Uncertainty, rejection, and a thread of anger took over.
“Can we just let this go?” He asked, as he looked at his feet. It occurred to Lucy that he wasn’t acting right, there was something here that was worrying him, and it sure wasn’t them making out.
“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?” She knew she was correct when his hand went into his hair.
“Yes,” he said simply, feeling relief, as he admitted the truth.
“Then tell me what it is,” she demanded, but he shook his head.
“Can we please just have this night together, and not worry about anything else? I’ve missed you all week. I didn’t know if you even wanted me back, and it’s been hell.” At last, he looked her in the eye, and she let out a grumble at his cute pleading face.
“I hate it when people lie to me.” She told him sternly.
“I know that, and I haven’t lied,” he insisted, and she stared at him fiercely, “I haven’t! I can’t lie about something that I never told you about.”
“Then tell me.” She hissed, and felt furious when he shook his head again.
“Not going to happen.” He whispered the words looking downcast.
Lucy stood up, and stormed away. She slipped off her shoes, as she headed towards the deck, went through the gate, and marched out onto the sand, with fury in every step.
He didn’t trust her, and that bit at her. It hurt to think that he still couldn’t trust her. She took a deep breath, and sat down in the sand. She needed to cool down, and think things through. He had to have a good reason for not telling her what was bothering him.
“Belle, I know this seems bad, but I need you to trust me,” Ash pleaded from behind her.
“Trust is a two way street, Ashton,” she replied sharply, as she stood up, and reached for the zipper on the back of her dress.
“What are you doing?” Ash’s voice was low and barely audible.
She heard him, but she decided to ignore him. She pulled the zip down, as far as she could, and she let the dress drop to her feet. She heard him groan from behind her, as she stood there in nothing but her strapless bra and panties.
Still, she pretended that he wasn’t there. She could feel his eyes on her, exploring every single inch of her skin, but she said nothing. She walked down to the water enjoying its cool embrace against her legs.
“You are not going swimming,” Ash pushed the words out through his dry lips.
“Try and stop me,” she shot back at him.
“God, Belle, I can’t…” Ash couldn’t articulate anything more.
He raced across the sand, and snatched her back against him. One hand spread over the smooth skin of her stomach, where he splayed his fingers wide. His other hand went into her hair, burrowing deeply into her curls.
She leaned into him, a moan escaping her, as his roughened palm created heated tingles to run though her. One finger traced around her belly button, making it harder to hold onto her anger and to stay completely still.
“You are such a teasing torment,” he whispered into her hair.
“Maybe I was just trying to cool off,” she replied, glad that he couldn’t see her face with the sly, but triumphant look in her eyes.
“No, it's most definitely tease.” He said against her throat, as he laid small kisses across her skin.
She used his distraction to turn him around so that he was closer to the ocean than she was. Succumbing to her charms, he didn't notice that she was gone, and he began flailing in the water, as she pushed him in. He swore loudly, as a wave crashed against his back, soaking him even more.
He watched, as she calmly stepped into her dress, and began walking back towards the house. God, how he loved her. He loved the spunky, crazy things she did that he never expected. He even loved that she never backed down from speaking her mind, and if she was angry with you, then you knew it.
“I’m going to do an interview tomorrow, Belle. I'm going to tell the world who I really am,” he finally admitted to her retreating figure, and he was rewarded when she stopped.
“Why was that so hard to tell me?” She asked, as she turned back around to face him.
“Because it exposes you and us to the world.” He admitted, as he pushed to his feet.
“That’s something that I knew I had to accept with you, Ash. For crying out loud, you’re Martin James, and no matter what else happens, you will still always be him,” she stated the obvious, and he let out a rueful laugh.
“How do you always manage to do that to me?” He asked in wonder, with a glimmer of a smile on his face.
“Do what?” She asked in a puzzled voice.
“Surprise me. I thought you might freak out because of…” He trailed off, but Lucy knew exactly whom he meant.
“You stood up to her, and that… well it changed things.” She said, looking up at the sky, as he approached her.
“How?”
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She looked across the moonlit beach towards his shadowed figure, and went to shrug, but stopped. She still couldn’t explain it to herself why it made her feel differently; all she knew was that it had. Seeing her mother slouch cowardly away with no fight left, had given Lucy confidence that maybe Crystal wasn’t always so in control.
“I can’t explain it, but it just did,” she repeated her thoughts with a slight frown.
“Okay, are we going to be alright now?” He gestured between them, as he took another step forward.
“Yes, I just like knowing the truth. Don’t take another step in this direction.” She warned, as she noticed a gleam in his eye.
“And why not?”
“Because you’re wet, sandy, and disgusting.” She put a hand against his chest to hold him back.
“And whose fault is that?” He asked mischievously as he ran a wet finger along her arm.
She took another step back, as he crept forward. She looked up at his eyes, waiting for him to make a move, as she moved further backwards. He tutted at her disagreeable, as he quickly snatched her protesting form into his arms. She struggled and pushed against him, not realising that her dress had dropped a little from not being re-zipped.
Ash turned immobile, his eyes enraptured, as he stared at her, and giving Lucy a brief window of escape. Unfortunately, her dress pooled at her feet, and she tripped in the folds of fabric, as she went to run. She heard his wicked little laugh, before he dropped down next to her.
“Now who’s all sandy?” He teased, as he sprinkled sand along her body.
Lucy sucked in a breath, as he leaned over her. His eyes travelled everywhere, and heated the very skin that he delicately ran his wet fingers along. He trailed one hand lightly over her bra, and then down across her stomach to skim along the edge of her panties.
He forced himself to breathe, as he looked at her eyes, those pools of blue filled with desire that stopped his heart. It was only when she leaned into his touch, and pulled his face down to hers for a fiery kiss that he came back to life.
He kissed her back just as fiercely. Almost losing his mind when she tugged their bodies closer. To think only the smallest strips of lace and satin kept her body from his was driving him crazy. The thought of tomorrow was the only thing that pulled him back. His breathing was heavy, as he forced himself away from her even a little.
“You’re so damn tempting, Belle,” he muttered against her cheek.
“I’m still sensing a 'but' in there,” she said breathlessly.
“That’s because there is one.” He insisted, while his hands ran along her bare sides, defying his words.
“Okay, let me understand this; you brought me to a place that has only one bed, and expected nothing to happen?” She asked sarcastically, which became rather breathless, as his tongue trailed across her cleavage.
“Yep, sounds stupid, but, geez, Belle, you taste so nice.” He murmured against her skin.
“Well, if you’re trying to stop, Ash, let me just say that you’re failing miserably. We should be equal in this.”
She sent him a sexy little smile, making his already out of control heartbeat thunder wildly. She slipped her finger under the first button of his saturated shirt, while her other hand slid provocatively up under his shirt. She undid the first button, and he let out a groan, as her other hand ran over his abs.
“You’re killing me here,” he muttered huskily.
“Not yet, but that might happen if I do this,” she teased, as her lips trailed down to where her fingers undid the next button.
When she finally got his shirt off after nothing but a feeble protest from Ash, she could only grin. She had him locked in a sensual haze that she never wanted to leave. The passionate look in his eyes sent a shiver through her whole body. She crushed their bodies back together skin to skin, and his groan was full of a delicious greedy need that she reciprocated.
“Is Carl still here?” Lucy asked after a long, lustful kiss.
“Who’s Carl?” Ash slurred the words in a caress down her throat, and Lucy let out a chuckle.
“Think, Ash,” she said, as she moved slightly away from him. He let out a throaty growl that sent a heady rush through her, as he tried to drag her back to him.
“Ugh, Carl, um… no he was going after dinner,” Ash finally said, and Lucy sent him a heated glance.
“Good, then let’s continue this inside,” she stood up, and reached a hand down to him. “Don’t even think of adding a 'but'.” She warned him.
Ash knew he was long past protesting. He wanted her far too much to stop now. He watched the twitch of her hips in nothing but those lacy panties, and his need for her swelled beyond comprehension. He scooped up her dress, as he followed her inside and knew this would be one unforgettable night.
Chapter 29 – Plane sailing?
Lucy woke and stretched, feeling her body protest in the most delicious way possible. She rolled over to find Ash sprawled next to her, still asleep, and felt her heart tremble with happiness. She smiled, as she traced her fingers lovingly over his face.
He grumbled a bit, but he reached for her. He pulled her into his arms without even waking up, as if it was a natural movement between them. She watched him sleep contentedly, until she recalled that Ash was sending her home today. She still had a feeling that he was hiding something from her, but she was determined not to ask. She didn't want to destroy the intimacy of the morning.
“Hmmm, morning, Belle,” his husky voice swept over her, making her tingle with memories of the previous night.
“Hey, Ash,” she whispered, feeling a shyness take over her.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, as he stroked her hair back from her face.
“Beyond good and you?” She asked softly.
“Yep, definitely beyond good.” He agreed with a sexy little wink sent her way.
“Are you still planning on putting me on a plane?” She asked, trying to ignore the fires that he was lighting, as his hands drifted over her body.
“Yes, I don’t want to, but I have to.” He murmured, as his lips slid down over her collarbone.
“Why?” She forced herself to ask, as she arched against him.
“You’ll see. Now, how about we go, and check out that whirlpool bath?” He asked with a heated glance.
She knew that he was trying to distract her and she sighed. She didn’t want to argue with him, especially if they only had a short amount of time together. She wanted to run with the feelings that were taking over her body. She deliberately forced her mind away from them being parted, and let herself be swept away in all that Ash offered.
Once again, they stood in an airport terminal, though this one was far busier. Lucy had been dreading this all day, even though she knew it was coming. Her fingers tightened around his, as she felt eyes staring at them. She took in a deep breath, and told herself sternly that he would be home tomorrow. Everything would work out fine, or at least that was what she hoped.
“Here’s your ticket, and I know it’s a bit out-dated, but I bought you this, so you can listen to my CD,” Ash said, as he handed her a compact CD player.
“Alright, thanks,” she murmured, as she accepted the parcel, and quickly put it in her handbag.
“You need to know that a few of those songs are…. well, I was a bit angry at you, and it is kind of obvious.” He looked down at the ground, until Lucy grabbed his chin, and tilted his face so that she could look at him.
“You had every right to be angry, Ash.” She told him firmly.
“Maybe, but I still might pull those songs.” He said with a frown.
“Let me listen to it, and I’ll tell you what I think, okay.” She said honestly, and he nodded.
“I’ll be home tomorrow, and your parents will pick you up from the airport.” He told her, and she sent him a perturbed look.
“How do you know this? I left my car there, and I was just going to pick it up,” he looked uncomfortable at her words, as he
shuffled his feet. “Hell! You set all of that up yesterday!” Lucy snapped with wide eyes.
“Not really, but your parents were worried about how you had been acting all week. They said they would pick up your car, if you ended up coming with me.” Ash explained, and Lucy pondered his words.
“Okay, not quite a set up then?” She asked rather sternly.
“It wasn’t what I was aiming for.” He sent her his most adorable expression, which always melted her anger away.
“Alright.” She shook her head at him ruefully.
An announcement came over the loudspeaker for her flight, and Lucy knew it was time to let him go. For a minute, she hugged him closer, never wanting to be apart from him. She gave him a quick, soul-shattering kiss, before walking away.
“I love you, Belle,” she heard his words through the crowded noise around her, and turned her tear-filled eyes back to look at him.
“I love you too, Ash,”
She turned back before the tears spilled out. She realised that ever since he had entered her life that her emotions often overwhelmed her. She used to be a tomboy who tried to emulate her male friends. Now, she was often an indescribable ball of emotions.
She glanced back at him, and knew that she wouldn’t change a thing. Through blurry eyes, the crowd finally caught up to her, and all she could give him was a wave. The crowd continued to swallow her into its midst, and she finally lost sight of him. She clutched her possessions to her, and marched determinedly to the departure lounge.
“Excuse me, but you look kind of familiar,” a young girl sitting next to her, snapped Lucy from her thoughts, as she sat waiting to board the plane.
“Sure, I do,” Lucy answered with a little snort.
“Wait! I know! You were in the paper today. Everyone seems to think that your Martin James’s girlfriend. So are you?” The girl sent her an intense stare, which contained a hint of jealousy in it. Lucy felt panic begin to thrum through her; she hadn’t seen the paper today.
“No, my boyfriend’s name is Ash.” Lucy tried to reply, as calmly as she could. The girl looked at her again, snapped her gum, and turned away.
I Met Her On the Balcony Page 30